Method of preparing cellular glass



W. D. F'ORD` METHOD OF PREPARING CELLULAR GLASS Dec. 9, 1952 2 SHEETS--SHET l Filed April 9, 1947 JNVENToR. WHLTEED. Feen Dec. 9, 1952 W, D, FORD 2,620,597

METHOD OF PREPARING CELLULAR GLASS Filed April 9, 1947 2 SHEETS- SHEET 2 INVENTOR. WAM TEPD. FORD Byzffslk Patented Dec. 9, 1952 METHOD QF PREPARING CELLULAR GLASS Walter D. Ford, Port Allegany, Pa., assignor to Pittsburgh Corning Corporation,

Allegheny County, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application April 9, 1947, Serial No. 740,283

1 Claim.

The present invention relates to a process for preparing a light weight cellular product adapted for use as a heat insulation medium, as floats for life rafts, fishing nets and various other embodiments of floating apparatus or equipment and it has particular relation to a process for forming such bodies by heating to a temperature slightly above the sintering or softening point a mixture of finely pulverizedglass ora mineral susceptible of sintering to a coherent plastic state and a gassing agent in order to form a sintered, bloated mass.

One object of the invention is to provide a process of forming cellular bodies and notably cellular bodies of glass, in which the use of molds of refractory material is obviated.

A second object is to avoid the necessity of providing mold surfaces with protective parting coatings to prevent cohesion between the mold surfaces and the hot glass being cellulated.

A third object is to obviate the use of expensive stainless steel apparatus such as conveyors and the like, vheretofore employed to conduct materials to be cellulated, through the furnace.

A fourth object is to obviate the heat losses attending the operation of heating molds up to the temperature requisite to the sintering and cellulation of the glass.

A fifth object is to obviate the labor involved in maintaining the molds heretofore employed in cellulating glass.

A sixth object is to` obviate the labor involved in coating, filling and stripping the molds.

These and other objects of the invention will be apparent from the following specification and the appended claim.

It has heretofore been proposed to form bodies of glass or glass like materials having a highly cellular or bubble like structure which by reason of the many voids therein are of high thermal insulation value and which are also adapted to be used as floats for life rafts and for other purposes where a light Weight material resistant to permeation by liquids isdesired. Various methods have been proposed for forming such materials. For example, it has been suggested to incorporate gas producing agents such as silicon carbide or other gas .producing powders with molten glass in such manner that the gas producing agent after'admixture with the molten glass would give off gas, thus forming a highly cellulated body. Adequate mixing of the gassing jagent and the glass has not been attained by such method and satisfactory products, insofar as is known, have never been so produced.

The preferred and commercial method of forming cellular glass, up tol the present time, involved admixing glassin finely powdered form with a gassing agent, notably powdered carbon such as carbon black or powdered .Coal and per- 2 haps with an oxygen giving agent such as a small amount of vantimony trioxide, arsenic oxide or a sulfate such as calcium sulfate. The mixtures were conventionally introduced into closed molds of refractory material, of which certain refractory stainless steels have been found to be best adapted. The mixtures of powders in the molds were then heated up by passing the molds through suitable furnaces equipped with conveyors, preferably of stainless steel, until theparticles of glass were sintered together andthe gassing agent was caused to react to form entrapped bubbles of gas in the sintered mass. In this manner, bodies of extremely light weight and high resistance to transmission of heat were obtained. The bodies were also impermeable to water, or nearly so, and were resistant to nre, vermin and many other agencies to which most insulative materials are susceptible.

Although very satisfactory products could be prepared by such methods, nevertheless, there were many features attending the process or processes which were objectionable. .For example, the refractory molds were expensive and they required frequent repairs and renewal within relatively short periods of time because ofthe excessive temperatures to which they were subjected in the various heating operations. Moreover, much labor Was involved in filling the molds. Also, the molds required preliminary coatings of a refractory parting agent such as bauxite or other suitable material adapted to be formed into a Water slurry and sprayed or otherwise coated upon the interior surfaces of the molds in order to prevent adhesion between the mold surfaces and the glass being cellulated. Molds were also objectionable because lit was desirable to strip them from the cellular bodies after they had been formed. Usually, the stripping operation necessitated various cooling and shock heating operations as a preliminary in order to free the cellular bodies and admit removal of the molds. Needless to say, the molds themselves absorbed much heat before they became sufficiently heated to effect the sintering and bloating of the mass and this heat was all wasted.

In most instances, the bodies formed in the molds tended to shrink to an appreciable degree during the various cooling operations andv this shrinkage tended to produce sagging of the upper surfaces. At the same time, the edge portions of bodies such as blocks or slabs as obtainedfrom the molds were not smooth and regular so that it was necessary to trim away a great dealoflthe highly valuable cellular material in order to obtain the regular bodies desirable forcommercial use, This trimming out away the durable, rigid outer'skin of the bodies. j f p j 'j j Another objectionable'feature attending the conventional method of forming cellular glass resided in the fact that only preformed glass could be yemployed as the starting material. This was relatively expensive to obtain. Needless to say, expense was involved in forming and melting down the glass then pulverizing the glass and subsequently reheating the pulverized material in admixture with suitable gassing agents to the sintering and bloating temperature.

In accordance with the provisions of the present invention it is proposed to obviate the foregoing difficulties by forming the cellulatable materials such as a mixture of powderedglassa blast furnace slag, feldspar aplite, clay, etc. land a suitable gassing agent, into a column which is Vmaintained in vertical position and heated upon all lateral sides without any confinement by external surfaces while moving downwardly within a vertical furnace, until the material is sintered into a coherent lbody and the gassing agents are reacted'to form a bloated column composed of a mass of bubbles having very thin walls of glass. If desired, this column can then further be shaped while it is still soft and plastic by passing it Abetween suitable rollers or other forming devices to impart thereto a regular section, e. g. a rectangular section suitable for cutting into slabs or blocks appropriate for insulationpurposes and the like.

For a better understanding of the invention, reference-may now be had to the yaccompanying drawings in which Fig. l illustrates diagrammatically a suitable layout of apparatus for use in the practice of the Ilinvention; Fig. 2 is a sectional View of the apparatus shown in Fig. l suitable for use in practicing the invention; Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken substantially upon the -line III- III of Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a fragmentary detail view showing on a larger scale suitable mechanism for -propelling cellulatable material into the furnace.

In the drawings like numerals refer to like parts throughout.

In the apparatus as shown in the drawings, a furnace I0, preferably in the form of a vertical ycolumn of substantial height, is provided. lThis furnace includes an upper or heating and cellulating chamber I I and includes an outer jacket I2 which may be of insulative material such as cellulated glass or any other material sufficiently insulative to heat and also sufficiently refractory to withstand the high temperatures involved in the operation of the construction. The insulation material I2 ymay enclose a highly refractory .material suchas fire brick or any other material of sufficient strength and resistance to high tempcratures, indicated at I3. The upper end of the 'furnace is provided with a block or die Iliof refractory material such as graphite or any-other material adapted to withstand the high temperatures of operation. The die I4 is provided with an opening I6, of a tapering cross-section substantially less in area than that of the heating chamber II, through which a column of material I1 adapted to be heated to form the cellulated structure is caused to move. The exterior face of block or die I4 and portions of conduit 2l are covered by and preferably cooled by a block I3 of refractory material which may be .provided with cooling conduits I3 through which a `cooling medium such as water is circulated.

In order to feed compacted material through the die I4 into the furnace, a conduit or cylinder 2| of steel or other strong abrasion resistant material 'is disposed in coaxial alignment with the die opening I5 and provided with suitable 4 means for compacting and forcing material to be cellulated downwardly through the die I4 into the 'furnace chamber II. .Such means: may take the form of a ram 22 upon a rod or shaft 23 which is reciprocated by any convenient mechanism (later to be described). Material to be cellulated` may be lfed into the conduit or cylinder 2l by means of a lateral branch 24 in which is disposed a ram 24a ro-r other feeding device on rod 25.

The rams may also be replaced by suitable screw conveyors or-worm feeds, if so desired. Material isfed Yto ram`24a'by means of a branch 23 discharging into the branch 24 and which may also lead'to an appropriate hopper 21.

Means for supplying heat to the furnace chamber I I mayinclude gas burners 23 in any desired size and number vdis-charging through passage ways V29 into :the lower vportion of the furnace chamber Il uponopposite sides of the column of the vmaterial 'to `lbe vcellulated. The gases comprising a combustible mixture of air and an appropriate gaseous fuel .pass upwardly through the furnace ychamber during combustion, are discharged by a flue or series of flues 3| .near the top of the chamber.

A partition 322V also vof refractory material such as fire brick partially separates the heating chamber from the lower or forming portion of the furnace and is provided with 4an opening 33 through which the heated -cellulating column of material in the furnace .is adapted to be discharged downwardly into a lower chamber 34 where the material maybe rolled t0 impart thereto a desired section and may also be partially cooled in order to impart-.rigidity at least to the louter surface thereof.

An appropriate rolling mechanism comprises upper rollers 36 of `refractory material engaging opposed surfaces of a cellulating mass. The remaining two surfaces, in turn, are rolled by lower rollers 31 also of refractory material. Rollers 35 and 31 needless to say, are driven in any convenient manner at a desired speed corresponding to that at which the material in the furnace is cellulated. In the drawings the rollers are shown as extending externally of the furnace and as being provided with gears 38 and 39 which may be engaged 'by sprocket chains or by other gears (not shown) in order to drive them at desired speed.

Means for supporting the cellular material during the preliminary stages of cooling in the chamber 34 include-conveyors-M and 42 of refractory material such as a mesh-belt of stainless steel or a band of steel Vor asbestos designed to engage the surfaces thus providing-abroad area of contact to permit of supporting the column above without applying -excessive localized pressure to any portions of the stillsoft and plastic material. These conveyors are trained about rollers 4Ia, and 42a having-drive connections 43 and 44 with gears 38 and 3'9. These connections may comprise gears or chains, etc.

The material passes from the chamber 34 through an opening 45 and in its downward progress, may be cut into sections as indicated at 4B suitable for yannealing in a lehr.

Apparatus `for cutting the strip or column of cellulated glass, as it emerges from the chamber 34, into units 4S of appropriate length for annealing, includes a track which may be hinged as indicated at 5I for tilting or angular adjustment. The swinging end is supported by means of a link 52z`hinged at one end to a conven- Vient Support as indicated at 53 and at the other Y end, benghinged to the track 58 as indicated at 54. It is shortened or lengthened by turnbuckle 55. A carriage 56 is provided with wheels 51 designed to run upon the track and carries a motor 58 provided with a vertical drive shaft 59 carrying a saw or cutting disc 60 of abrasive.

In order to permit the cutting element 68 to be tilted to compensate for changes. in the angle of the track 58, the motor is provided with a bracket 6|, journaled on a shaft 6|a in bearings 6|b on the lower side of the carriage 56. Set screws 62 provide for adjustmentof and holding of the motor at a desired angle.

The carriage 56 is also provided with a cable 63 running over a pulley 64 upon track 58 and being provided at its extremity with a counterweight 65 designed to balance the weight of the carriage and the saw mechanism. Carriage 56 may be reciprocated by appropriate mechanical means- (not shown) or if preferred it may be operated manually, for example, by means of a handle 65. It will be apparent that the angle of the track 58 is adjusted in such manner that when the carriage 56 is reciprocated to cause the saw or disc 68 to engage the strip of cellular material moving out of the chamber 34 the disc as it moves transversely will also move downwardly at a speed approximating the movement of the material being cut. By adjustment of screws 62 the angle of saw 88 can be adjusted. The blocks or units of cellular material 46 which have solidified upon the outside, but arev still above the critical or annealing temperature are disposed upon a conveyor such as a wire mesh or link belt 68 trained about pulleys 69 and 1| and are carried through the lehr 12 where the units are slowly cooled below the critical temperature in order to relieve the internal strains therein.

Itwill be apparent that suitable mechanism for reciprocating the piston rods 23 and 25 in order to feed compacted pulverized material into the cellulating furnace should operate to impel the material downwardly as continuously and as positively as possible in order to maintain the desired ratio of distance traveled by the feed with respect to that of the conveyors 4| and 42. This rate will average approximately [2 the rate of the conveyors thus compensati-ng for the longitudinal expansion of column I1. To this end, the rod 23 should be impelled slowly and uniformly downwardly during the feeding stroke and should return to its upper position as quickly as possible after the completion of the stroke preparatory to the initiation of the next stroke. Correspondingly, the rod 25 should be impelled forwardly to feed a new portion of pulverized material into the vertical cylinder 2| during the short period of the return stroke of the rod 23. Apparatus to accomplish this purpose includes substantially the same elements for each rod or ram. Accordingly, the numerals for the two will correspond except for the application of prime marks to the mechanism for operating the rod 25. The description of the two mechanisms in the main apply interchangeably.

The apparatus includes parallel guides 15 secured to any convenient supports 15, a cross head 11 slides between the guides 15 and is provided with a follower roller 18 designed to rotate upon a stud shaft 19 extending from the cross head. In order to reciprocate the cross head, the follower roller 18 vengages, cam 8| upon a drive shaft 82 journaled in bearing 83 upon the extremities of the guide 15. The shaft 82, it will be observed, is appropriately driven by a synchronous motor .6 and a speed reducing mechanism 84 upon a con- Venient support 86. Drive shaft 81 from this mechanism is provided at its extremity with a bevel gear 88 engaging a corresponding gear upon the shaft 82.

It is to be observed that the cam 8| is shaped to give approximately uniform downward motion to the cross head. However, the portion of the cam surface indicated at 89 corresponding to the return stroke is flattened in order to admit of as rapid return of the rod 23 as possible preparatory to the next stroke. For purposes of returning the cross head 11 to its uppermost position, a helical spring 9| is coiled about the rod and bears at its upper extremity against the cross head 11. At its lower extremity it bears upon the support 16 in such manner as to exert an upward pressure.

In order to drive the cams 8| and 8|' in synchronism shafts 82 and 82 are respectively provided with sprocket gears 92 and 92' about which are trained sprocket chain 93.

It is to be observed that the cams 8| and 8| are arranged in phase to act alternately. That is, one dwells while the other works to actuate its follower. The cam. 8l during the working portion of its rotation, impels the cross head 11 downwardly with a slow and uniform motion. In counterdistinction, the cam 8 I is designed with a peak or lobe 8|a, so that during the working portion of its stroke, it impels the rod 25 forwardly to feed a fresh portion of pulverized material into the feed cylinder 2l as rapidly as possible and then permits the rod quickly to return to the starting point, the object being to attain maximum uniformity of ow of the column |1 through die I4 and as short a stoppage as possible for introduction of additional charge. The main portion of the cam 8| is circular as indicated at 8|b so that during most of its revolution arm 25 is stationary.

In the operation of the apparatus shown, various materials may be employed to provide the cellular mass. The more conventional material, of course, is finely pulverized glass such as glass consisting primarily of silica, lime and sodium or their equivalents well understood in the glass industry or a borosilicate glass.

Other materials that may be employed alone or in substantially any mixture with pulverized glass include blast furnace slag, feldspar, aplite, clays, shales all in finely powdered form and admixed with appropriate gassing agents in small amount. The requisite adjustment of the temperature of the furnace to bring the specic material to a coherent, plastic state should be made in each instance.

If the glass is employed, it preferably should be very nely pulverized, e. g. to pass a, screen of not more than 100 mesh or preferably so ne as to pass a screen of 200 or 400 mesh or even finer, e. g, to an average particle size of 5 microns. The limit of neness is imposed by the economics of the grinding operation.

If pulverized glass is employed, it is admixed with an appropriate gassing agent which may comprise a small amount of a substance adapted to decompose under heat to give off gases. Usually, it is so selected that it will be decomposed degree of cellulation desired. It, too, should be in'very iinel'y Ypulverizedor pigmentary form, for example, such as'may be obtained by precipitation of calcium carbonate by chemical methods. It will be apparent that urea may be substituted for calcium carbonate and a convenient amount would be 1/2 to 2%. It may be supplied in powder form. Finely pulverized carbon or carbonaceous materials such as carbon black, lamp black or powdered coal may also be mixed with the powder of glass or other sinterable material in amounts of 0.1 up to by weight, dependent somewhat upon the degree of cellulation desired and the material employed. A good average is 0.1 to 2% based upon the weight of the glass. If the glass is low in sulfates and other oxygen giving substances, it may be desirable to include a small amount e. g. 0.2 to 5% by weight of calcium sulfate, antimony trioxide or arsenic trioxide designed to provide oxygen to gasify the carbonaceous material.

The ram 22 in forcing the mixture of pulverulent materials downwardly through the heated die passage I will of course cohere them in such manner as to form the column Il in the furnace. The ratio of vgaseous fuel to air throughout the entire furnace chamber preterably is controlled to maintain a reducing atmosphere at least in the upper portions of the furnace where the entering column I7 is exposed to this atmosphere. To this end, inlets 99 for reducing gases may be provided. A slight oxidizing condition may thus be maintained in the remainder of the furnace chamber II in order to burn out some surface carbon and provide denser surface skin on the column.

In the furnace, the temperature is so controlled that before the mixture of ingredients in column il, to be sintered and bloated, reach the bottom of the heating chamber II they are adequately cohered and the bloating gases are liberated in substantial quantity so that the column begins to expand. This temperature will depend upon the materials being heated. Some glasses, of course, are more difficult to soften by heat than others. For most purposes a cellulating temperature of 1550 E'. near the bottom portion of the furnace is employed. At the top portion the sintering temperature will approximately correspond to 1400 l5. In the chamber Se the temperature will be approximately-1200" F.

In the operation of the apparatus as previously described it is desirable that the rate of introduction of `the material to be cellulated through the inlet passage or conduit 2l be properly correlated with the rate of cellulation and the rate of emission of the cellulated material from the chamber II. For example, it will be found that Iin most instances the material in cellulation will approximately double its linear dimensions. That is, the material will expand transversely to 'approximately twice its original width and similarly it Will double in length and also in thickness. In order to prevent distortions and rupture of the cells comprising the material it is therefore necessary that the forming rollers 39 and 37 as well as the belts 42 move at approximately double the rate of the material moving through the passage I9 of the block I4. Some slight variation of this ratio may be desirable to meet individual conditions in operation.

For example, the material may increase to slightly more than twice its original dimensions or it may not cellulate -to quite such an extent. Slight changes in rate of removal accordingly maybe desired and can be attained by speeding upior slowing down the forming rollers and the conveyor "belts, The material when formed under such conditions is subject -to a minimum of distortion and resultant rupture'of the cell structure.

It is further to be observed that in order to reduce cell distortion to a minimum, the material after it is emitted from the throat I8 of the block I4 is permitted to vmove downwardly lthrough the chamber I I, the opening 33 and the opening 45 without being contacted with stationary surfaces. In this way, the possibility of distortions is obviated. It is also apparent that during the heating and cellulation of the material, the latter is at no time forced to pass through any restricted throats or passages which would tend to cause elongation of the cell structure with possible rupture of many of the cell Walls. The material after it moves out of the passage It is vfree to expand and as it becomes sufficiently Aheated throughout its cross-sectional area, it expands uniformly to its maximum both vertically and horizontally.

It will be V apparent to those skilled in the art that numerous modifications may be made herein without departure from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended claim.

I claim:

A'method of producing cellular glass from a mixture of Vfinely pulverized glass and a carbonaceous gassing agent giving off gases at and abo-ve the sintering point of the glass, comprising the steps of ext'ruding `the mixture into a vertical cohered column, passing the extruded column through a vertically disposed heating chamber without contact therewith, maintaining a substantially reducing atmosphere within the heating chamber adjacent the entering portions of the column, maintaining a slightly oxidizing atmosphere withinthe remaining major portions of the heating chamber for modifying the face of the column by burning out surface carbon upon the heated moving column before it reaches cellulating temperature, lretaining the modied moving column within the heating chamber until cellul-ation is substantially completed, passing the cellulated column into a cooling chamber, vertically supporting the moving column within the cooling chamber until it has sufciently annealed to permit handling, and then severing the column.

W'ALTER D. FORD.

REFERENCES CITED -The following references are of record in the yflle of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 708,309 Brenn Sept. 2, 1902 `1,818,101 Slidell Aug. 11, 1931 1,874,799 Peiler Aug. 30, 1932 1,928,435 Powell Sept. 26, 1933 2,067,313 Coryell Jan. 12, 1937 2,114,545 Slayter Apr. 19, 1938 2,156,457 Long May 2, 1939 2,215,223 Lytle Sept. 17, 1940 2,255,238 Willis Sept. 9, 1941 2,289,787 Kaschke et al July 14, 1942 2,322,581 Lytle June 22, 1943 2,341,059 Parsons Feb. 8, 1944 2,354,807 Fox et al. Aug. 1, 1944 2,417,094 Spinasse Mar. 11, 1947 

